The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

24 August 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

Love stings

Plot:

An insurance investigator and an efficency expert who hate each other are both hypnotized by a crooked hypnotist with a jade scorpion into stealing jewels.

Plot Keywords:

Insurance Investigator | Thief | Scorpion | Magician | 1940s

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Tormey	...	Sam
John Schuck	...	Mize
Woody Allen	...	CW Briggs
Elizabeth Berkley	...	Jill
Kaili Vernoff	...	Rosie
Brian Markinson	...	Al
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Office Worker
John Doumanian	...	Office Worker
Peter Gerety	...	Ned
Helen Hunt	...	Betty Ann Fitzgerald
Kevin Cahoon	...	Lunch Delivery Man
Philip Levy	...	Rocky's Waiter (as Phil Levy)
Wallace Shawn	...	George Bond
Dan Aykroyd	...	Chris Magruder
Vince Giordano	...	Rainbow Room All Star

Also Known As:

Im Bann des Jade Skorpions (Germany)
Woody Allen Fall Project 2000 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (Mono) | Dolby Digital (Mono) | SDDS (Mono)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #38071) | UK:12A | Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:PG | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Woody Allen is very secretive with his scripts when he is working. Helen Hunt was allowed to read the entire script when she was offered the part, but she had to read it in one sitting and then give it back to the courier who was waiting to take it back.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the opening news room scene set in 1940, Woody Allen asks the sports desk reporter "Who won the 6th race at Aqueduct?" Aqueduct did not come in to existence until 1959. Jamaica Raceway would have been the operating track.

Quotes:

Betty Ann: You're searching my desk!
C.W.: I wasn't searching I was rummaging.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nastroyshchik (2004)

Soundtrack:

Flatbush Flanagan

Funny With A Good Cast

Here's an entertaining crime story set in 1939 with nice atmosphere and colors and the normal Woody Allen wacky humor.

If you enjoy man-versus-woman insult exchanges, you'll love this as Allen and Helen Hunt trade clever barbs back and forth at a rate that reminded of an old Marx Brothers film. Many of the lines are funny with Allen, since it's his film, delivering most of them.

The story goes on a bit too long but overall keeps your interest. The women in here, from Hunt to the office girl (Elizabeth Berkely) to Charlize Theron playing a Veroncia Lake-lookalike are all glamorous.

Dan Akroyd, David Ogden-Stiers, Wallace Shawn and John Schuck are all veteran comedians who know their trade so the movie offers a lot of quality yuks. I'm surprised this movie isn't better known. I really enjoyed it the first time but laughed even more on the second viewing. Silly, but fun.